ENERGY DEBATE
The "Photon" prize, awarded by Comité de Liaison des Energies Renouvelables (CLER), the French NGO network for renewables, has gone to Jean-Pierre Souviron for his efforts in organising a wide ranging energy debate in France -- and drawing conclusions from it which ruffled many feathers, notably at EdF. Also praised was the Conseil General d l'Aude, a local authority in southern France, for its decision to use money on wind and photovoltaics instead of on a power line extension. The "fossil" prize was awarded to the minister with responsibility for the national budget, Nicolas Sarkozy, for increasing sales tax on wood fired collective heating from 5.5% to 18.6%.